Episode 5 recap: Luo Qi Qi wants to return to campus.
Li Shu's new store is about to open, but the name "In the Water's Edge" has already been registered by a closed bathhouse. As long as the other party doesn't cancel the registration, they can't use it. Luo Qi Qi originally wanted to see the opening of the new store, but she has already bought a train ticket and will be leaving in a few days. When Xu Xiao Bo learned that Luo Qi Qi wanted to go to Xi'an, he advised her not to travel far, but Luo Qi Qi had made up her mind. The two of them had a quarrel because of this.
Liu Xiao Bo wanted to fulfill Luo Qi Qi's wish, so he used the signboard of "In the Water's Edge" and teased Luo Qi Qi by saying that she was going to Xi'an and told her not to worry about the store name. In private, he searched for the registration documents of the bathhouse for many days, which made the owner of the bathhouse think he had a problem in his head to be so stubborn. Fortunately, Xu Xiao Bo's efforts paid off, and he finally found the registration documents from piles of trash files. But before he could feel happy about it, he learned that Luo Qi Qi was in trouble and needed his help.
It turned out that Xu Hui Zhong and Jun Hong were secretly scheming behind Luo Qi Qi's back, trying to send her to work in a factory. Luo Qi Qi had made it clear that she refused, but the two of them were not giving up. When they learned that Luo Qi Qi was about to go to Xi'an in a few days, they forcefully tried to keep her behind. The angrier Luo Qi Qi became, the more she wanted to leave. She picked up her luggage and was ready to go, but Xu Hui Zhong and Jun Hong held her tightly. The two of them had already made an appointment to meet someone, so without a word, they dragged Luo Qi Qi into a taxi. Luo Qi Qi kept trying to persuade them not to go, that she wouldn't go, but no one paid attention to her words. They just instructed the driver to head towards their destination. Furious, Luo Qi Qi seized an opportunity to get off the taxi and called Jia Jie, asking him to come and rescue her. Meanwhile, she held onto the phone booth tightly, refusing to leave no matter how hard Xu Hui Zhong and Jun Hong pulled and tugged. The three of them ended up having a heated argument on the street. Luo Qi Qi still resented her grandfather's passing away and how Xu Hui Zhong and Jun Hong remembered to take Luo Yuan Yuan with them but forgot about her own situation. She refused to obey their arrangements under any circumstances.
When Jia Jie and Xu Xiaobo arrived, they saw Luo Qi Qi being pulled and tugged by Xu Hui Zhong and Junhong. Jia Jie seized an opportunity and rode his bicycle to crash into them. While Xu Hui Zhong and Junhong were caught off guard, Luo Qi Qi quickly jumped onto the back seat of Xu Xiaobo's bicycle and escaped from her parents. Xu Xiaobo brought Luo Qi Qi to the entrance of Xin Dian. By this time, the weather had turned cold, and Luo Qi Qi couldn't bear the chill. Xu Xiaobo gave her his gloves, showing that he still cared about her deep down. This made Luo Qi Qi smile. It was late, and all the shops with signboards were already closed. Jia Jie made a great effort and managed to get a signboard that said "By the Water" though it wasn't very attractive. Nonetheless, Luo Qi Qi, Xu Xiaobo, and Jia Jie happily hung it up. Firecrackers were set off, marking the official opening of "By the Water." Xu Xiaobo couldn't help but ask Luo Qi Qi if she could stay, but he also understood that Luo Qi Qi was feeling wronged there. It was Luo Qi Qi herself who made up her mind to leave and say her goodbyes.
During the Lunar New Year, Zhang Jun went to see Gao Lao Shi with something in his hand, and Chen Jin happened to be there too. The three of them mentioned Luo Qi Qi and felt sorry for her. Chen Jin had always wanted to read "Tianfu Mathematics," which was still with Luo Qi Qi. Zhang Jun realized that Luo Qi Qi hadn't given up on her studies, so he asked Chen Jin for a favor. Luo Qi Qi was about to leave Hannan, and before that, she returned the books to the school. Chen Jin waited for her there and called out her name when he saw her. Luo Qi Qi praised Chen Jin for having a good memory, but what she wanted Chen Jin to remember wasn't because they were classmates, but because Luo Qi Qi had read many books when she was young. Chen Jin flipped through the books and immediately noticed mistakes in the problems Luo Qi Qi had solved. He gave her some pointers, emphasizing that the brain needs training, and even someone as intelligent as Luo Qi Qi still needs practice. Chen Jin borrowed a teacher's blackboard and solved the problem on the spot. Luo Qi Qi said that studying wouldn't make a difference even if she did it, but she secretly watched from the other side of the wall. She was dissatisfied and approached to solve the problem in her own way. However, due to the lack of a solid foundation, she couldn't surpass Chen Jin and eventually admitted defeat. Luo Qi Qi was always special in Chen Jin's eyes because they were the only two in school who read those books. He hoped that Luo Qi Qi wouldn't waste her intelligence and would walk on the path of learning.
The day came for Luo Qi Qi to leave home. Xu Xiaobo went to see her off, making a final attempt to persuade her to stay. In her heart, Luo Qi Qi had a conversation with her childhood self and finally made the decision to continue her studies. She surrendered to Xu Hui Zhong for the first time, hoping he would give her another chance to study. Xu Hui Zhong agreed, and when she hung up the phone, she finally felt that Luo Qi Qi had matured, and tears of excitement flowed uncontrollably.
She is engulfed in immense sadness and suppressed in darkness. Do her parents not love her? It's not just about her parents' self-righteous acts of kindness that aren't really love. Every time she cries out with all her might, but her parents only have eyes for her younger sister. If they can't even spare a little love for her, then at least they shouldn't have given her any expectations in the first place.
What does her grandfather mean to her? He is a guiding light, a harbor, someone who belongs to her. His departure, for her, is the collapse of the world, the shattering of her heart, and utter despair.